Hacks for easy calorie counting

ChaoticMoira

coderdan82 wrote: »

That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.

Yup. I find the whole process of cooking to be tedious as it is, so any steps I can do in one day that make the week ahead smoother is a plus. I also put onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in everything, so I mixed them in the proportions I generally use in a container together, so now I can just grab one scoop when cooking.

I do what some others mentioned above as well and batch cook a few days out. So I usually have about 4 dinners, lunches and even snacks made ahead. This way I only cook/prep once or twice a week. I even mix my protein shakes ahead.

I often think I got fat for one reason, my hatred of cooking. It was always easier to get takeout or open a bag of chips. Didn't even matter if the food was not as good, so long as I didn't have to cook it.

MargaretYakoda

ChaoticMoira wrote: »

coderdan82 wrote: »

That's interesting. It's the same amount of work but somehow mentally it's less annoying when you weigh it before putting it in the fridge/freezer.

Yup. I find the whole process of cooking to be tedious as it is, so any steps I can do in one day that make the week ahead smoother is a plus. I also put onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in everything, so I mixed them in the proportions I generally use in a container together, so now I can just grab one scoop when cooking.

I do what some others mentioned above as well and batch cook a few days out. So I usually have about 4 dinners, lunches and even snacks made ahead. This way I only cook/prep once or twice a week. I even mix my protein shakes ahead.

I often think I got fat for one reason, my hatred of cooking. It was always easier to get takeout or open a bag of chips. Didn't even matter if the food was not as good, so long as I didn't have to cook it.

Agreed.
One thing I do is prep and dehydrate onions, green peppers, and other veggies. Then my partner just grabs a handful and chucks them in his homemade stews and bean dishes.

It took a couple days to go through two huge bags (50 pounds) of onions last fall, and we’re not quite halfway through the dehydrated chopped onions at this point. Ditto other veggies.
Saves freezer space too, since the dehydrated veggies are shelf stable for years.

Of course, you do need a dehydrator for this trick. We love our 12 tray Cabella’s.

westrich20940

I definitely get wanting to grab something prepackaged bc it is easy to log --- you can scan it/just chose the entry that is equal to the label on the back.

I do that often --- a common quick meal for me is a package of smoked salmon and a package of parcooked rice. I usually add some sauce (like sesame oil/soy sauce)...and eat. Open it up, eat it. Simple ingredients.

I also tend to just estimate now that I'm in maintenance and have logged alot. So instead of weighing my chicken thigh I already know that each is usually between 3.5-6 ounces or so and don't worry if I'm a bit off bc in the long run it's not gonna matter much. I'll know if I'm routinely over or under bc I'll gain or lose.

ChaoticMoira

westrich20940 wrote: »

So instead of weighing my chicken thigh I already know that each is usually between 3.5-6 ounces or so and don't worry if I'm a bit off bc in the long run it's not gonna matter much. I'll know if I'm routinely over or under bc I'll gain or lose.

Honestly I tend to just weigh one portion of anything I am prepping, then just make the other portions look the same by eye. I am losing, so it has been fine for me. I don't want to have to weigh every single thing. And yeah, anything prepacked is a score!